Sprouting Bean Sprouts (2008-06-12)
Found something fun to do of late: growing bean sprouts.
I think most people who grew up in Hong Kong including myself have
sprouted mung beans in primary school in their science class.
Students in my class received a few beans from the teacher and were
told to nestle them on a wad of moist cotton, and in a matter of days,
we would excitedly watch the beans grow roots and sprout shoots.
These days, I sprout beans in a much grander scale. A few
beans won't feed two, so I sprout 1/4 cup at a time. The concept
behind this sprouting business is very simple. Soak the beans
overnight so they can plump up. Then all you need to do is leave
them in a colander in a dark place while misting them with water twice
a day to rehydrate them (then discard water accumulated in the box or
the beans'll
rot). Within 5 days, you'll have fresh
bean sprouts to use.
Granted, your homegrown bean sprouts will NEVER look like the fat
white ones in the supermarket. Commercially grown bean sprouts
are sprayed with chemicals to make them plump and bleach to whiten
them. When I'm faced with the choice of homegrown organic bean
sprouts and store-bought chemicals-laden sprouts, I tend to pick
the former if possible. As a bonus,
you can eat the actual mung beans from which the shoot has sprouted if
you grow them at home while store-bought ones only have the shoots
remain.
The actual beans that have sprouted are a powerhouse of nutrients,
minerals and vitamins, much more so than when they are in the dry bean
stage. I've learned that you can just about sprout all kinds of
beans. I happen to have a bit of adzuki beans left in the
cupboard, I think I might do those next time to see what happens.
P.S. The less you disturb the beans, the straighter they'll
grow. Be very gentle when lifting the colander to empty water in
the box especially in the first 2 days when the roots start to
form. Once the roots are long enough to penetrate the holes in
the colander, the beans will pretty much grab hold of the holes and
stay in place. Then enjoy watching the shoots grow upwards, it's
fun.
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